sidecar
03-09-2008, 10:22 AM
Budget
* What budget have you allocated for buying this camera?
Up to $1200 or $1300 for body only.
Size
* What size camera are you looking for?
DSLR - larger and heavier is OK, and may be preferable.
Features
How many megapixels will suffice for you?
This is the least important consideration.
* What optical zoom will you need?
I'll buy a lens separately.
* How important is “image quality” to you? (Rate using a scale of 1-10)
9 to 10.
Do you care for manual controls?
Yes, having the ability to manually override auto controls is fairly important.
General Usage
* What will you generally use the camera for?
Event "documentation"; some wildlife and landscape
* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?
Probably not, nor enlarging small cropped sections
Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos?
Yes
Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?
Some
Miscellaneous
Are there particular brands you like or hate?
Strongly prefer Nikon. I have a number of lenses, flashes, etc. from my 35-mm days. Although I will get a new VR lens for this body, some of my old lenses should be serviceable in the longer telephoto ranges.
Are there particular models you already have in mind?
This is the tough part, but probably a reconditioned or used D200 or D2H, although I'm considering just getting a D40 and working with it a while to see how much I'll use it. The D200 seems to be a more modern camera, but I think I'd like the heft of the D2H (my last 35-mm body was an F4). Nothing against a D80, but the D200 seems to be a lot more camera for not very much more money.
(If applicable) Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD)
Wide angle and image stabilization will be addressed through separate lens selection. No need for rotating LCD - in fact, even with the pocket digital camera I have now (Pentax Optio S40), I mostly use the viewfinder rather than the LCD. Hotshoe is needed, but all candidates seem to have this. Some amount of weatherproofing would be nice, but I won't be working on assignment, so don't have the requirement of a true all-weather system.
Your advice will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
* What budget have you allocated for buying this camera?
Up to $1200 or $1300 for body only.
Size
* What size camera are you looking for?
DSLR - larger and heavier is OK, and may be preferable.
Features
How many megapixels will suffice for you?
This is the least important consideration.
* What optical zoom will you need?
I'll buy a lens separately.
* How important is “image quality” to you? (Rate using a scale of 1-10)
9 to 10.
Do you care for manual controls?
Yes, having the ability to manually override auto controls is fairly important.
General Usage
* What will you generally use the camera for?
Event "documentation"; some wildlife and landscape
* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?
Probably not, nor enlarging small cropped sections
Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos?
Yes
Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?
Some
Miscellaneous
Are there particular brands you like or hate?
Strongly prefer Nikon. I have a number of lenses, flashes, etc. from my 35-mm days. Although I will get a new VR lens for this body, some of my old lenses should be serviceable in the longer telephoto ranges.
Are there particular models you already have in mind?
This is the tough part, but probably a reconditioned or used D200 or D2H, although I'm considering just getting a D40 and working with it a while to see how much I'll use it. The D200 seems to be a more modern camera, but I think I'd like the heft of the D2H (my last 35-mm body was an F4). Nothing against a D80, but the D200 seems to be a lot more camera for not very much more money.
(If applicable) Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD)
Wide angle and image stabilization will be addressed through separate lens selection. No need for rotating LCD - in fact, even with the pocket digital camera I have now (Pentax Optio S40), I mostly use the viewfinder rather than the LCD. Hotshoe is needed, but all candidates seem to have this. Some amount of weatherproofing would be nice, but I won't be working on assignment, so don't have the requirement of a true all-weather system.
Your advice will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!